Ernesto Burgos de Cuba

Composer - Arranger - Musical Director
ERNESTO BURGOS con la Banda de Santiago
SALA ¨DOLORES
A Life in Music Though my early training was rooted in classical music, my creative journey began in the world of popular sounds—those rhythms that speak directly to the people. Over the years, I have embraced and reimagined music from many cultures: from the melodies of Brittany to Jewish chants, from Gypsy laments to the pulse of Catalonia. Yet, no matter the language or form, one essence remains constant—my Cuban, Caribbean, Latin American, and Hispano-American identity. Fame was never the goal. What I’ve sought is expression, connection, and authenticity. In every piece, whether a bolero, a rumba, or a concert chamber work, there is always a trace of my roots—a warm accent, a familiar turn of phrase, a rhythm that knows the sun. I do not claim to have done it all—but I’ve done much. And I keep learning, every single day.
COMPOSITIONS & ARRANGEMENTS: From Afro-Cuban roots to the rhythms of the greater Caribbean, my work encompasses both Cuban concert music (“EXCALIBUR NEGRA DE FUEGO”, “ZAPATEO DEL DIABLO”, “TIVOLÍ”… etc.). Just like the popular genres: Son Montuno, Rumba, Guaguancó, Bolero, Afro-Cuban Jazz (Rumba High Sea, Shin Shin Mambo), Cumbia, Merengue, Samba…

Musical Collaborations

- “Ernesto Burgos, Composer of Chamber Music with ‘Candela Negra’ Clarinet Ensemble of Didier Reymond and other professors of the Conservatoire de Lyon, France.”

- Ernesto Burgos' journey from Cuba through Cuban and international rhythms… here is Flamenco with "Parrita¨, Cantaor de España"
Exploring the Orchestral Works of Ernesto Burgos:

“EXCALIBUR NEGRA”, “de FUEGO”… Awarded work in the Composition Contest “García Caturla” III Edition, July 2012.
Turning Imagination into a Recording Session

In my daily work,I combine musical experience, advanced technology and a trained ear to create demos, arrangements and musical backgrounds that bring to life ideas that have not yet been recorded.
I work with tools such as Cubase, Reason, Sibelius…among others, developing fro instrumental lines for ensembles in studios, to complete backgrounds for solo musicians and singers. I use sampled sounds, MIDI, and professional editing to bring each project as close to its final version as possible. Each arrangement , each model, is an invitation to dream. And when the times comes to record with the real musicians, everything already has soul, direction and meaning.
My goal is simple: that the music flows, that the imagination is heard

1989 – Performing with the group ‘GLORIA LATINA’ founded by me since November 1981

1990 – Playing in the TV studios ‘CUBAVISION’

2010 – “Porgy & Bess” Jazz Club in Vienna, Austria… with the famous singer Christine Jones, “Magic Sax Quartet”, Peter Schrammel and other Viennese musicians.

In the rehearsal for the concert
“Manitas de Plata in Memoriam¨ with the General Director Guy Bertrand and the flamenco guitarists Pep and Kema Baliardo.

With French, Spanish, and Cuban musicians at the entrance of the ‘Manitas de Plata’ Conservatory in Perpignan, FRANCE

View of the Mediterranean Sea, hours before the concert… at the ‘Theatre de la Mer’ in Set. FRANCE
Collaborations Along the Way
- Orquesta Los Van Van - CUBA - Collaboration with 'Gloria Latina' on the Album AVANCES
- Orquesta Aliamen – Santa Clara – CUBA – with ¨Gloria Latina¨ on the Album "AVANCES"
- Orquesta REVÉ – CUBA – with ¨Gloria Latina¨on the Album "El Puro Ritmo de Havana Club"
- IRAZÚ – GERMANY – CHILE – Albums ¨Puro Sabor¨ (1999) ¨La Fiesta del Timbalero¨ (1999) Composition & Arrangements
- Featured on the Album "CASA DE LA TROVA" – Arrangements
- Orquesta “Estrellas de la Charanga” – Cancun & Islas Mujeres Tour
- SONIA SANTANA & SARATOGA BAND – Under my musical direction at the ¨HEREDIA¨ Theater in Santiago de Cuba
- MAGIC SAX QUARTET – Musical collaboration – Arrangements, compositions and performances on international tours
- JANE BUNNET – Contributed arrangements and compositions to the album "ALMA DE SANTIAGO" which was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Awards
- Collaboration with Guy Bertrand and the Banda de Santiago on the VOYAGE DE NOTES TOUR in Lyon, FRANCE - Arrangements for the ¨Banda de Santiago¨ at the Jazz in Vienne festival, alternating with Buena Vista Social Club
- Chef de Orchestre of the ¨Banda de Santiago¨ 2012 - 2023
- CANDELA NEGRA – Prestigious ensemble of clarinetists from Lyon, France – Conducted by Didier Reymond – Arrangements and composition collaboration
- Piano & Musical Direction of the concert 'RUMBANAMÁ' at the Theatre de Fourviere in Lyon, FRANCE... accompanying Vicente de Castro ¨PARRITA¨, flamenco 'cantaor', Ludmila Merceron, and Guy Bertrand as Artistic Director.
- Arrangements and Musical Direction at the Tribute Concert for the famous flamenco guitarist 'Manitas de Plata' at the 'Theatre de la Mer' in SET in the south of FRANCE.